THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION, IN ITS RUSH TO PROVE HOW Diversity, Equity & Inclusion ( DE&I) COMPLIANT AND PROGRESSIVE IT IS, HAS BLOWN OFF THE LAST REMAINING DIGITS OF ITS OWN INTEGRITY AS THE INTERIM CEO WHO WAS BEING CONSIDERED A CANDIDATE FOR THE POSITION FULL TIME IS FORCED TO ADMIT HIS ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS ARE FORGED.

Rev Thomas Littleton

8/17/2023

Forget that the Southern Baptist Convention was led by men who fought and won a battle against liberalism FOR the Word of God back in the late 1970s. Never mind that Baptist were once the largest protestant denomination in America. All that is NOW history. It is past. It is OVER. Planting fake and failed churches replaced evangelism decades ago and the once 16 million member movement is now below 4 million in weekly attenders and losing members at the rate of 500,000 plus last year alone. Now its own deep rooted corruption and pride among its top leadership have caught up with and is devouring it.

Like the foolish woman of Proverbs 14, SBC leadership have been tearing down their own house by indoctrinating the future of their own pulpits with CRT/ Revoice LGBTQ/ Feminine ,Queer and Gender Theory/ and the tools of Cultural Marxim. To be blunt they have filled their pulpits with social change agents spouting lifeless narratives leaving the pews a “scorched earth” of dry bones. Heard a Baptist preacher try to preach lately? The very thought of enduring another lecture from one of these seminary disciples is too painful to consider for many.

Besides the obvious ruin this has brought on a generation of young men and women – some actually called of God-the SBC leadership have also sought to indoctrinate our children in our own churches and homes. These BRAZEN fatted cows hidden behind Neo-Calvinist theology have also sought to further their government and private Foundation funding ties by unhinging convictional Christians from their Faith ,Family and Pro Life political stands and into the mushy middle “leaning in ” toward left wing compromise.

In the last decade plus the leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention have proven again and again that many are lost. There is little reason to take them seriously on any matter of integrity given the invasion of our institutions , the sex scandals, OR the stupidity of brining in Guidepost Solutions to promote DE&I compliance. The last decade plus has seen and endless stream of disgraced liars, cheats, and generally unregenerate leaders who have flooded the movement with false teachings , social justice, CRT, Revoice and replaced the Gospel with Faith Based Partnerships and Global Goals outcomes. There is dirty money everywhere and lots of it. There are few of the leaders of major entities or big name preachers like Rick Warren / Ed Stetzer/ Russell Moore/ Albert Mohler/ Kevin Ezell/ Bryant Wright ( the list goes on and on) who still hold a shred of integrity. This public shame-fest can only be interpreted as the judgement of God on a movement which has long ago exchanged His glory for that which does not profit … i.e. their own empty profits from church growth- seeker friendly- FBP/UN partnerships/ Muslim Resettlement/ Revoice LGBTQ welcoming/ Critical Theories/ internal Cancel Culture /corrupt institutional heads & culturally relevant chasing after the wind. Also lets not forget many have added to all THIS -pure unrepentant arrogance since MANY have been repeatedly warned and refused to repent.

US News and World Report- “Tennessee pastor Willie McLaurin, who leads the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, resigned Thursday from his position as interim president and chief executive after it came to light that he presented false information about his educational qualifications on his resume.” (On his resume, McLaurin listed earned degrees from North Carolina Central University, Duke University Divinity School and Hood Theological Seminary. Those entries proved to be false.)

JUST THE FIRST DAY OF HEADLINES- READ THEM AND WEEP IF YOU THINK THE SBC IS ANY LONGER THE CHURCH :

Southern Baptist leader resigns from top administrative …

AP Newshttps:

RELIGION

Southern Baptist leader resigns from top administrative post for lying on his resume about schooling

6 hours ago — Willie McLaurin, a Tennessee pastor who served as chief executive of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, has resigned.

Southern Baptist Convention Leader Resigns Over False …

The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com › 2023/08/17 › southern-baptis…

1 hour ago — Willie McLaurin, the interim head of a powerful committee, said he listed schools he did not attend, according to the denomination.”

Southern Baptist EC President Resigns Over Falsified …

Christianity Todayhttps://www.christianitytoday.com › news › august › s…

5 hours ago — Willie McLaurin, former Executive Committee VP, steps in four months after Ronnie Floyd’s resignation. Adelle M. Banks – Religion News Service.

Willie McLaurin, interim president of top SBC committee, resigns over false credentials

Liam Adams

Nashville Tennessean

STRAIGHT FROM BAPTIST PRESS:

“McLaurin resigns as interim EC president and CEO, removed from search consideration.”

AUGUST 17 2023

NASHVILLE (BP) — “Willie McLaurin has stepped down as interim president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee and is no longer considered to be a candidate for that position by the presidential search team.

McLaurin confessed to EC Chairman Phillip Robertson and EC Presidential Search Committee Chairman Neal Hughes Aug. 17 that his education credentials were forgeries.

In an email statement to EC members shared with Baptist Press, Robertson said, “While considering Willie as a candidate, your Presidential Search Team discovered disqualifying information during their process of vetting and due diligence.”

On his resume, McLaurin listed earned degrees from North Carolina Central University, Duke University Divinity School and Hood Theological Seminary. Those entries proved to be false.

Hughes said three different search committee members did individual investigations into the validity of the credibility of McLaurin’s degrees.”

“They spent four weeks investigating and applying for answers,” Hughes said in a letter to EC members.

…“EACH CONFIRMED THAT MCLAURIN HAD NEVER GRADUATED FROM THE INSTITUTION…..”

In the end, each institution confirmed McLaurin had never graduated from the institution.

“These matters were turned over to our EC officers, who also act as the personnel team for the EC,” Hughes said.

After admitting the truth, McLaurin tendered his resignation.

“To the Southern Baptists who have placed their confidence in me and have encouraged me to pursue the role of President & CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, including pastors, state partners, entity servants, colleagues, and SBC African American friends, I offer my deepest apologies,” McLaurin said in a resignation letter submitted to EC officers and shared with Baptist Press. “Please forgive me for the harm or hurt that this has caused.”

RELIGION NEWS SERVICE ARTICLE QUOTE

“The statement quoted from McLaurin’s resignation letter, saying he admitted falsifying his resume.”

““In a recent resume that I submitted, it included schools that I did not attend or complete the course of study,”

NOTE- This statement would indicate that McLaurin BOTH did not attend the institutions AND did not complete the course of study/degrees at all.

” McLaurin reportedly said in resigning. ” again – “According to Baptist Press, an official SBC publication, McLaurin claimed that he had degrees from North Carolina Central University, Duke University Divinity School and Hood Theological Seminary on his resume. When presidential search committee members attempted to confirm those degrees, they learned he did not hold those degrees.”

MORE HISTORY OF WILLIE McLAURIN IN LEADERSHIP ROLES

McLAURIN LEADS A LEADERSHIP TRAINING AND COACHING CONSULTING FIRM

“Leadership is about Getting the Right People to do the Right Things, at the right time.”

— Willie McLaurin

About Willie McLaurin

“We partner with existing and emerging leaders and assist them in unlocking potential so they can make progress toward their goals.”

“Willie McLaurin has been involved in developing leaders existing and emerging leaders for 25 years. His heart for investing in leaders begins with leading at home. He and Antonia have been married for 25 years and they have two amazing daughters. He is gifted in developing in strengthening strong relations toward optimal performance.”

“Willie is President and Chief Executive Officer of Willie McLaurin Coaching and Consulting. He currently serves as the Vice President for Great Commission Relations and Mobilization of The Southern Baptist Convention. Willie partners organizations to:

• Discover Opportunities
• Develop Strategies
• Deploy for Effectiveness”

“His unique combination of military and ministry experience provide him fresh insight to assist your organization achieve exceptional results.”

AN INTERVIEW ON LEADERSHIP WITH THE KENTUCKY BAPTIST

Leadership Lessons with Willie McLaurin

Kentucky Baptist Convention Streamed live on Apr 19, 2023 “As the SBC annual meeting approaches, interim executive committee president Willie McLaurin provides an update on the convention and what preparations for the meeting are underway.”

AN OFFICER IN ARMY INTELLIGENCE

In this interview Willie McLaurin is asked to speak about his military career as “an officer in the Army Inteligence Corp”. No one in the SBC seems to be asking now but his confession to falsifying his academic credentials likely have some bearing on his position as an Officer in Army Intelligence.

McLaurin “I was forunate in College to be a part of the ROTC, the Reserve Officers Training Corps so I came out of college ..I finished in three years and had an opertunity to go and serve as an officer. And I went through the US Army Military Intelligence School and actually was trained in Morse Code. So I was attached to units that were deployed …and was stationed at Fort Huachuca in Arizona. It is called the “Combined Command “where all the services come and get trained and so I had the privilege first of all kinda being be the commander in a unit that trained all the branches on Morse Code …” From there McLaurin says he had some other “smaller deployments across the country” before ending up his time in the Army at Fort Campbell KY working at “the Home of 101st Airborne Division attached to a small group that gave support the 5th Special Forces Group which is an elite group there”.

McLAURIN’S CLAIMS HERE ABOUT HIS COLLEGE AND MILITARY CAREER ALSO RAISE SEVERAL DISTURBING AND LINGERING QUESTIONS.

MORE FROM THE CONFESSIONAL – “THANKFUL FOR THE TRUST SOUTHERN BAPTIST PLACED IN ME…” WHAT ?

“In a statement to Baptist Press, McLaurin said, “I am thankful for the trust that Southern Baptists placed in me to serve as Interim President & CEO. Now, I am trusting Southern Baptists to pray for me and my family as we navigate this part of the journey.”

MORE FROM THE BAPTIST PRESS ARTICLE -AGAIN THE SBC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE HAS OVERSIGHT OF BAPTIST PRESS AND IS OBVIOUSLY INTERESTED IN DAMAGE CONTROL FROM THE FALLOUT DUE TO ITS OWN PATHETIC LEADERSHIP AND CHOICES.

“McLaurin was named to the interim role on Feb. 1, 2022, stepping into the position that had been vacated three months earlier by Ronnie Floyd. Previously, McLaurin had served as vice president for Great Commission relations and mobilization at the EC.”

“Prior to his role at the EC, McLaurin was on the staff of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board for 15 years. He also served as executive pastor at Greater Missionary Baptist Church in Clarksville, Tenn., and senior pastor at Greater Hope Baptist Church in Union City, Tenn.”

“McLaurin was on the SBC Committee on Resolutions in 2018 and president of the Black Southern Baptist Denominational Servants Network in 2011-2012. He also was on the Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention from 2003-2005 and was the inaugural president of the African American Fellowship of the Tennessee Baptist Convention.”

The EC is scheduled to meet in person in Nashville on Sept. 18-19.

Hughes said the search team will resume their search for the next candidate to lead the EC.

Robertson called on Southern Baptists to join him and Hughes in prayer.

“The need for God’s wisdom and direction is paramount at each and every point in the process of searching and selecting the next president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee,” Robertson said.”

CURRENT SBC PRESIDENT BART BARBER IS QUICK TO ABSOLVE THE GUILT OF McLaurin WHILE IGNORING THE COLLECTIVE FAULT OF THE SBC.

Bart Barber

15h

Willie McLaurin: “Please forgive me for the harm or hurt that this has caused.” Biblical Christianity offers you one and only one response to that plea, fellow Southern Baptists. Yes, Willie, I forgive youI

WILLIE WAS ALSO CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND HELD MULTIPLE OTHER LONG TERM POSITIONS IN THE SBC.

NOTE -AS INTERIM PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE McLAURIN HELD TOP POSITIONS OVER MOST OF THE FINACIAL OPERATIONS OF THE SBC INCLUDING THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST FOUNDATION.

NOTE THIS IN THE DISCRIPTION OF THE SB FOUNDATION RESPONSIBILITIES FROM EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE-

“the Southern Baptist Foundation manages proceeds from wills, bequests and other investments”

QUESTION- So is anyone interested in leaving large SUMS of MONEY to the Southern Baptist Founadtion with this kind of unvetted oversight?

This appears to be a horrific insight into how the SBC leadership is currebtly being led.

(Bio from the Southern Baptist Foundation website)

Dr. Willie McLaurin

Chairman Of Southern Baptist Foundation –

• Interim President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee
• Vice President for Great Commission Relations and Mobilization of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee
• Former Special Assistant to the Executive Director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board (2005-2020)
• Inaugural President of the African American Fellowship of the Tennessee Baptist Convention
• Former Senior Pastor of Greater Hope Baptist Church (Union City, TN)
• Former Executive Pastor of Greater Missionary Baptist Church (Clarksville, TN)

THE SBC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FUNCTIONS WITH THE SBC FINACIALS OF MORE FULLY EXPLAINED:

The Executive Committee oversees finances and budgets of sBC entities and  is also assigned program responsibilities:

1. for Cooperative Program promotion,
2. managing the Southern Baptist Foundation, which manages proceeds from wills, bequests and other investments,
3. operating Baptist Press, the SBC news service, and
4. providing a convention relations office, which articulates Southern Baptist positions to constituents and to the public through the media as well as producing the SBC LIFE Journal

WILLIE MCLAURIN OWN CONFESSION-

FROM RNS – “The statement quoted from McLaurin’s resignation letter, saying he admitted falsifying his resume.”

““In a recent resume that I submitted, it included schools that I did not attend or complete the course of study,” McLaurin reportedly said in resigning. ” again – “According to Baptist Press, an official SBC publication, McLaurin claimed that he had degrees from North Carolina Central University, Duke University Divinity School and Hood Theological Seminary on his resume. When presidential search committee members attempted to confirm those degrees, they learned he did not hold those degrees.”

CONCLUSION

There was a time when degrees and honors did not matter to Southern Baptists and most of their powerful men in the pulpit had little in the way of academic qualifications but they could PREACH the WORD of GOD. Now degrees and credentials are worshipped and thousands of unemployed and unemployable “lecturers ” roll out of SBC institutions annually only to languish (in odd jobs ) or remain in the pulpits of dying churches to torture the poor inhabitors of the pews with endless polishing of Neo- Calvinist doctrine , critical theories, progressive third way politics and false social gospels. In the end it was THE top Executive- the CEO of the SBC Executive Committee wearing fake and false credentials -those treasures so worshipped and honored among modern day theological elitists … which served to bring the SBC into the dust of RUIN and public SHAME. This is despite his perfect fit as PROOF OF a DE&I compliant SBC movement because Willie McLaurin is African American and the SBC is accused of “a long history of racism”. All that aside -fake credentials scandals have nothing to do with race. They are equal opportunity disqualifiers. So how many other Baptist leaders have fake or false ..or be honest and ask..other wise useless credentials?

It has been a long road and the SBC has had a long run -for better and/ or worse – as a significant movement. BUT it is over and done. The SBC leadership are deaf dumb blind… stupid and stiff-necked unable to find repentance before its full shame came on public display. NOW it can no longer be said that THE Southern Baptist is a “Great Commission” movement. It is just one more dead and dying denomination (well sort of) whose glory days are past and God’s glory has departed.

The New York Times headline reads:

“Southern Baptist Convention Leader Resigns Over False Résumé”

The Heavenly assessment is much more dire: –

Hosea 4:17-19New King James Version

¹⁷ “Ephraim is joined to idols,
Let him alone.
¹⁸ Their drink is rebellion,
They commit harlotry continually.
Her rulers dearly love dishonor.
¹⁹ The wind has wrapped her up in its wings,
And they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.

PROVERBS 14 :

The Ways of Life and Death

14 The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.

² He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.

³ In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride,
But the lips of the wise will preserve them.

⁴ Where no oxen are, the ^[a]trough is clean;
But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.

⁵ A faithful witness does not lie,
But a false witness will utter lies.

⁶ A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it,
But knowledge is easy to him who understands.
⁷ Go from the presence of a foolish man,
When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.
⁸ The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
But the folly of fools is deceit.

⁹ Fools mock at ^[b]sin,
But among the upright there is favor.

¹⁰ The heart knows its own bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.

¹¹ The house of the wicked will be overthrown,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.

¹² There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.

¹³ Even in laughter the heart may sorrow,
And the end of mirth may be grief.

¹⁴ The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways,
But a good man will be satisfied ^[c]from above.

¹⁵ The simple believes every word,
But the prudent considers well his steps.
¹⁶ A wise man fears and departs from evil,
But a fool rages and is self-confident.
¹⁷ A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
And a man of wicked intentions is hated.
¹⁸ The simple inherit folly,
But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
¹⁹ The evil will bow before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

²⁰ The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor,
But ^[d]the rich has many friends.
²¹ He who despises his neighbor sins;
But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.

²² Do they not go astray who devise evil?
But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.

²³ In all labor there is profit,
But ^[e]idle chatter leads only to poverty.

²⁴ The crown of the wise is their riches,
But the foolishness of fools is folly.

²⁵ A true witness ^[f]delivers souls,
But a deceitful witness speaks lies.

²⁶ In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And His children will have a place of refuge.
²⁷ The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.

²⁸ In a multitude of people is a king’s honor,
But in the lack of people is the downfall of a prince.

²⁹ He who is slow to wrath has great understanding,
But he who is ^[g]impulsive exalts folly.

³⁰ A sound heart is life to the body,
But envy is rottenness to the bones.

³¹ He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker,
But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.

³² The wicked is banished in his wickedness,
But the righteous has a refuge in his death.

³³ Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding,
But what is in the heart of fools is made known.

³⁴ Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a ^[h]reproach to any people.

³⁵ The king’s favor is toward a wise servant,
But his wrath is against him who causes shame.